Forbidden Topic
by Hyena Cub
Summary: A holiday tale about a long lost celebration, and the Mutant cub that wants to know all about it.
1. Chapter 1

Forbidden Topic

This is a tale about a young jackal cub who overhears a comment about Christmas, a holiday he has never heard of, and which the Mutants will not tell him about.

1 

"You idiots!" S-S-Slithe was standing up at the conference table, pounding his scaly fist onto it. The sturdy wood refused to break, or even move, which angered the Reptillian even more. "You _three_ Mutants couldn't take on two cubs and a _Snarf?!_" 

The assorted Mutants in the conference room mostly shrugged and looked down. Some glared at the Mutant leader. Jackalman sniveled: "It wasn't our fault S-S-Slithe!" 

"Yeah!" Monkian agreed. "Besides, the other one was just a kid, and _he's_ incompetent!" 

"I am not!" came a somewhat high, indignant voice. He was young, but everyone had to start somewhere, didn't they? The teenage Reptillian crossed his arms. His scales were a brilliant green, much brighter than S-S-Slithe's own dark forest color. "It's not my fault you guys didn't tell me that the red button collapsed the wings of the Skycutter..." 

S-S-Slithe sighed and sat down. "Sit down and shut up, Lizardon. Yes, you're an incompetent fool, but that's to be expected from a wet-behind-the-ears, skinny kid!" His words were anything but kind, but his tone was not quite angry, at least not until he looked to the other two. "In fact it's nothing compared to that of these two fools! You were supposed to be training him, idiots! How do you expect him to know something you never told him? He's never _been_on a Skycutter before!" 

"Well..." Jackalman whined. "Well still he should've known you never touch a big red button!" 

S-S-Slithe was getting a headache. Finally he stood up, addressing the ten or so Mutants in the room. "Get out of here! Tomorrow you two take him out again, and no screw-ups! Vultureman, I want you with them; maybe you can keep them from doing something totally suicidal, even if you can't fight worth a crap." With that, he stalked out. 

Vultureman, wondering if he should take that as a compliment or not, only shrugged and followed. 

"Jeez, where's your Christmas spirit?" Monkian grumbled as he too, left. "Miserable scalebag." 

As the rest of the Mutants filed out, they were watched by a young jackal cub that had watched this entire display quietly, sitting on a stack of crates. He was not often allowed in the conference room so he had been very quiet so that he did not get thrown out. He had wanted to listen in...not that anything out of the ordinary had happened. S-S-Slithe was always yelling at the others. Or the big mummy creature came and yelled at S-S-lithe, or someone yelled at _someone_. 

Yelling seemed to be a way of Mutant life. 

Kringer jumped down from the crates and ran after the others. He was a refugee, an orphan who scarcely remembered his parents. He had no one here that he could really call a parent, or even a guardian, he was kind of just treated as one of the other Mutants, though there were a few that took care of him more than the others. One was a simian Mutant with more brains than most of his fellows. He had been at the meeting. "Simi?" 

The monkian turned around to look at the child at his side. "Hoo, what is it, kid?" he asked. 

One thing Monkian had said at the meeting had stuck in the curious young jackal's mind. "What's a Christmas Spirit?" 

Simi made a disdainful face and ruffled the fur on Kringer's head. "It's nothing a Mutant needs to worry abut, kid. Forget you heard it. Hey, why don't you go see if there's anything outside you can hunt? I got duty at the sensors today." 

"Nah, I don't like hunting. Can I go exploring?" 

"Sure, kid. Don't get lost, though. S-S-Slithe'll be pissed if he has to send someone to find you, hoo hoo." 

"I won't." Kringer stopped walking and watched Simi go to his post. He thought. 

S-S-Slithe was head of the castle, and leader of all the Mutants. Kringer was just a cub, the lowest of the low. He had never spoken to him. But today he intended to. "Um, S-S-Slithe, Sir?" he asked timidly, poking his head into the reptile's open door. 

S-S-Slithe looked disdainfully down at him. "What are you doing in my quarters, scavenger?" 

Cowed, but determined to get an answer to his question, Kringer said, "Can-can I ask you a question, Sir?" 

The irate reptile had been about to shove the kid out of his room and lock the door, but he was showing him more respect than the others ever did, "Make it quick, kid." 

"Well...I heard Monkian say it, and I don't know what it is...what's a Christmas spirit?" 

S-S-Slithe scowled darkly at him. "I don't ever want to hear that word in this castle again, yeees?" he shouted. Why the hell had Monkian said something like that anyway? He would have to ask him later. "No goody-goody holiday like that is allowed at Castle Plundaar, you got that?!" 

Kringer winced and scuttled backwards. "Yes, s-sir!" Then he turned and ran. 

"Damn Mutant," S-S-Slithe muttered. Why did cubs have to hear everything then ask a million questions about it? He slammed the door. 

Well that hadn't been any fun. Once he was sure the door was safely closed, and no one was watching him, Kringer stuck his tongue out. 

He did learn something though, he thought, as he walked out into the cold air. He wore only a short brown loincloth, as most of his species did, but his fur was thick, and he hardly felt the bite of the wind. "It's a holiday..." S-S-Slithe had said it was a "goody-goody" one. So maybe he could ask the ThunderCats... 

As the child took a small ground-skimmer, a scooter type device that Simi had fashioned for him a few months ago, out of the Castle and over the drawbridge, he considered this option. He'd be in big trouble, probably get a good thrashing and be grounded to his room for a month if they ever found out...but who said they had to find out? 

Mind made up, Kringer started towards Cats' Lair. 

Part 2 

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	2. Chapter 2

  
2

It was indeed Christmas time on Third Earth. Though the old time measurements of time and the like were unknown to the citizens, Lynx-O had managed to dig up some old records on their explorations, and using his Braille board managed to contain the records in electronic form and relay them into the computer at the Tower of Omens. There was a lot in these electronic histories: war, newscasts, legends...but it was one legend that the that caught the avid interest of Wilykit and Wilykat. That one was Christmas. They had eagerly read all that there was on it, though many records were destroyed, and they could not find the beginnings of the holiday, though they tried. Maybe they would go back to the old building and look some more. Maybe written records. 

But with what they had, they managed to get the gist of the thing, and they set out excitedly, wearing pants and thick tunics in the cold weather, and riding their boards. They went to the forest to get a pine tree, and spent all of an afternoon making decorations for it. Another day was spent making gifts for each other and finding shiny material to wrap them in. 

Even the other ThunderCats couldn't help but get caught up in the twins' enthusiasm, and some made gifts of their own, or went to the Wollos or the Berbils to buy or barter them. 

**** 

The Mutants, however, had always known about the holiday. Some of the citizens celebrated it, liking its morals and its symbolism. These celebrations were often quashed by the government, however. They did not hold kindly to the ideals, and they disliked anything that would make the populace think on their own, or think about going against their rulers. 

Long ago, their ancestors has been to Earth while it was in its first cycle, and had simply observed. Plundaarians had not always been conquerers and killers. But while most species evolved, their degenerated as they grew, not strong enough to keep up the evolution. But then these observers watched, and they recorded everyhitng and brought it back to their people; at first Christmas was widely accepted.. But after centureies, as the Plundaarian races began to evolve, not into an enlightened group of being, bue into a bloodthirsty band of sadistic wretches, this holiday of light was scorned, then forbidden. The few Mutants who still held onto light and good were thrown into slavery, and those who were not were shoved into the background, often forcing the families into the worst parts of town, where they had no floor other than dirt, and had no running water or electricity, let alone the technology the Mtunts did have access to. 

And so Christmas was a taboo among the Mutants. 

But a child does not hold the prejudices of his race. A child has no concept of right and wrong. A child does not instinctively know the bloody histroy of his race. A child does not hate unless he is taught. 

Fifty feet away from Cats' Lair, Kringer stopped. Outside, the twins had their decorated tree, and were only gazing at it, wrestling occasionally with each other. The jackal cub was very hesitant. The ThunderCats seemed to be wary of any of his kind. Some of what the grown-ups said about them were probably even true. 

After a long time, he got off his ground-skimmer and cautiously approached. 

The twins did not see him at first. They were too busy looking at their tree and shaking the presents to see what was in them. but then Wilykit leapt to her feet. "Hey!" she said in an accusing tone. Kringer stepped back. 

Wilykat also looked up to see his sister ready to fight, with her lariat and a capsule with her. "Whoa, Wilykit hold on! He's just a cub like us!" He looked to the uncertain child. "Wilykit, he's younger than we are, put those away." 

Wilykit was looking at the child with narrowed eyes. Wilykat was right, he did look to be maybe six or seven, maybe eight. But still, he was a Mutant... "It could be some kind of ploy or trick!" she growled. 

Wilykat considered, looked at the timid jackal cub in his scant clothing, his fur being blown by the wind that was many times bigger than he, and shook his head. "Yeah, it might," he said. "But it might not. Remember all it said about this time of year? You're supposed to be forgiving and stuff." He turned to the jackal while his sister grudgingly put away her weapon. "Hello..." 

A little encouraged, Kringer stepped forward, keeping a wary eye on the girl. He knew these two, or at least who they were. He did not know their names. "Hi..." His voice was small and uncertain. "Um..." He felt a little silly, but he came a couple of steps closer. "I...I wanted to ask you a question." 

Now even Wilykit could see he posed no threat. He was not even armed. "Hey, it's okay," she said awkwardly. It was strange talking to a Mutant like that but it was just a kid. Their quarrel was with S-S-Slithe and the other adults. "Um...do you want to sit down with me and Wilykat?" She caught an approving glance from her twin and smiled a little. They _had_ read this was supposed to be a time of giving, forgiving, and love... She was trying. 

"Okay..." The little jackal sat down, as uncomfortable as the twins, maybe more so, as he was the one in "enemy" territory. 

Wilykat was more at ease. "What did you want to ask us? Well first, what's your name? I'm Wilykat, and this is my sister Wilykit." 

Kringer smiled uncertainly. "I'm Kringer...and I heard Monkian say something about a Christmas Spirit...I thought you might know what it was. The grown-ups won't tell me and say Mutants aren't supposed to think about it." 

"Oh!" Wilykit said. "We can tell you about it." What timing, too! "Well I don't know how it started, but me and Wilykat found records in an old building. It's a time that had a weird date, not like the dates we all use now, but the day is gonna be tomorrow, Day Five." The Thunderians, Plundaarians, and anyone else in their sector of space used the seasons as their calendar, starting from the solstices, and the equinoxes. Christmas fell on the fifth day from the winter solstice. "You have a tree like this and gifts sometimes, and people usually act nicer around that time." She had not failed to notic the slight change in the other cats. The spirit was catchy. 

As Wilykat and Wilykat explained, passing the story back and forth easily, being twins, he thought. It sounded like something he would like a lot. "Oh...well then what's a Christmas _spirit_?" His apprehension had been replaced by his eager curiosity. 

"Oh, well the spirit of something usually means the mood, or how people feel,. So the Christmas spirit is the feeling good and nice and stuff." 

"Oh..." The jackal grinned. "I think I like Christmas." He looked around. "How old are you?" 

"We're eleven," they said together and laughed. "How old are you?" 

"I'm six, but I'm almost seven." He always made sure people knew that he hadn't just _turned_ six. He was closer to seven than five, and that was an important thing to know. 

Five was way too young. 

"Cool." They grinned at each other for a minute, then Wilykat said, "I think we have some sleds in the hangar, want to go sledding with us? There's a spot about three miles away where it's snowing." 

"You mean like on Hook Mountain?" He had been there once, and it was the greatest thing he'd even seen, snow. 

"Yep!" 

"Okay! What's sledding?" 

Wilykit stood. "We'll show you. Come on!" The three cubs raced to the hangar to get the sleds. There were only two, but Wilykat said he would share. Then they took the spaceboards to the spot, their uneasiness forgotten. Now they were only three kids having fun. That's what they saw in one another: another child. As they talked, they had felt more and more of the spirit that they read about, and it became less and less something they tried to do. 

The three laughed and played all day, and were exhausted when they got back to Cats' Lair. "I had fun," Kringer said shyly to the twins. 

"We did too," Wilykit said, sounding amazed to find it was the total truth. "Maybe you can come over again?" 

Kringer grinned broadly at the seeming acceptance. "Okay...they don't pay much attention to me. Just so I don't get lost they don't care where I go." 

Wilykat grinned "Cool!" 

Just then, Panthro came out of the Lair to get the twins. His eyes widened when he saw who they were with, and like Wilykit immediately suspected a Mutant trick. He drew his nunchucks and ran at them. "Thunderkittens, get away from him!" He growled at the jackal cub, who screeched in fright and stumbled backwards onto his rear. "Get out of here!" Panthro shouted at him, waving his weapon threateningly in the air. The child got to his feet and ran. 

In shocked silence, Wilykit and Wilykat watched him jump on his scooter thing and speed away "Panthro!" Wilykit finally accused. "He didn't hurt us! He didn't mean any harm!" 

"He's our friend!" Wilykat added. 

Panthro scowled at them. "Get inside! You're ThunderCats! You should know better! Thunderians do not make friends with Mutants!" 

Wilykat pulled his arm away from the adult. "Yeah," he said, feeling tears of humiliation, frustration, and injustice, this latter mostly for the young Mutant who had only wanted to know about Christmas, and got chased away by an adult. A pretty intimidating adult at that, even to other adults. "We _are_ ThunderCats. Maybe that's why we _do_ know better!" He stomped inside, his sister on his heels. 

Part 1 

Part 3 

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	3. Chapter 3

  
3

While Kringer slunk back home and into his bedroom, Wilykit and Wilykat were getting reamed out by Panthro. "And I _still_ can't believe that you were foolish enough to let a Mutant get so close to Cats' Lair, without telling us for that matter!" 

Wilykit had had enough. She stood up and clenched her small fists. "He's a _cub_, Panthro! He's younger than we are! What, everything we do we have to run by you? We're ThunderCats too, you know!" 

"Wouldn't have known it by the way you acted," Panthro growled angrily. 

Wilykit looked a little shocked, and a lot hurt. "So! _You_ are the only one here who's able to use his judgment?! I thought ThunderCats were supposed to give everyone a chance! I didn't think that ThunderCats would scream at a cub and scare him just because he has brown fur and is from Plundaar! I didn't think that THUNDERCATS sneered at people who haven't done us any harm just because they aren't of our race! Come on, Wilykat," she said, trying to hide the fact that she was starting to cry. "These 'adults' won't listen to us. They think they know everything." With that she stalked out of the room. Wilykat, looking at the floor, said nothing, and ran out after his sister. 

Panthro was at the point of losing his temper, not just because the kittens had spoken back to him...well Wilykit had anyway...but because they had managed to shame him as well. He started after them. 

"No, Panthro." Lion-O put a hand on the panther's arm and shook his head. "No more tonight, when everyone is angry. We will talk it over in the morning, when everyone has a cooler head." 

"And tomorrow is this Christmas the twins have been so excited about," Cheetara said with a smile. "Maybe that will mean something in cooling down the tempers." 

Panthro sighed. "All right. But still, they should have thought first." He wouldn't admit that now he was calming down a bit, he felt bad for scaring the little Mutant away. 

Cheetara gave Panthro a slightly reproachful look. "Maybe they did think, Panthro. Wilykit and Wilykat are right about one thing. They _are_ ThunderCats. I have every confidence that they would have made sure there was no threat before befriending the young Mutant. They know better." 

Again Panthro felt chagrined for giving the twins so little credit. It made him feel defensive. "Look, they were talking with a _Mutant_ in front of Cats' Lair!" He caught Cheetara's look and sighed. "All right, all right! Fine. So maybe I got a little hotheaded, but what would you have done?" 

Cheetara answered truthfully, "I don't know, Panthro. Perhaps the same thing as you, or since he is only a child, perhaps I would not be so harsh. But one thing I would not do is scream at the twins for doing what they think is right." 

Panthro sighed again. "Okay," he said in a lower voice. "When you put it _that _way..." 

Cheetara laughed, a pleasant laugh, and put a hand on the panther's shoulder. 'Maybe these un-influenced children can teach us bullheaded adults a thing or two." 

Panthro laughed a little "Maybe. I'll talk to them tomorrow." He looked at Lion-O. "And I won't lose my temper." 

"That's a good idea," the lion said. "Maybe...maybe tomorrow we will watch. If that little jackal is brave enough to come back after experiencing the wrath of Panthro, we'll watch." 

"Okay, you're on!" 

Part 2 

Part 4 

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	4. Chapter 4

  
4

At Castle Plundaar the next day, Simi inquired of his semi-charge where he had been the day before. Kringer thought about telling him the truth. He was the only Mutant in the castle he came close to trusting to any extent, and one of the few that had any honor, but finally he decided against it. "Just out. I saw some snow and played in it, that was neat!" _That_ was the truth anyway. He might go there again, too. Maybe Simi or maybe Lupino could help him make a sled. 

"Hoo, well be careful. You could freeze you know." 

"I know. I have fur though! I'll be careful," he said quickly, before Simi could say anything else. "I might go again today, can I?" 

"Sure, kid. Just don't get lost...well you know the drill." 

Kringer grinned. "Yep! I won't!" 

**** 

Again on his ground skimmer, he clutched the object he had spend all night making. He liked working with wood, and both Simi and Lupino, who were good with woodworking had been helping him when S-S-Slithe wasn't hollering at them to do something constructive. The child had spend all night, after he stopped shaking after the encounter, making a couple of gifts. 

This time, the little jackal was actually terrified to go near the Lair. Panthro had scared him pretty good, but he had had more fun the day before than he had in a long time. Most the time he was shoved outside to play alone, or told to get out of the way of the adults. There were no other children at Castle Plundaar, and he often went exploring on his own. The only good though about it, though he had no other lifestyle to compare it to, was that he could do pretty much what he wanted. 

Of course if the adults knew half the stuff he did, he'd get thrashed a good one. But what they didn;t know wouldn't hurt them. 

But after a long time, he got up the guts. No one was outside, and he sure couldn't go up on his own and ring the bell. The adults did not like him. He didn't like adults very much most the time anyway. Most of them, even the Mutants, weren't very nice. They never listened to a cub, and always were mean to someone at first, not even knowing who they were. Kringer always thought this kind of foolish, but never dared say so...not even to Simi or the other few he considered friends at the place. So he waited. He sat on his cold metal of his ground-skimmer, hovering a few feet off the frozen ground, and waited. 

It was almost three hours in the frigid air before he saw the twins. They were on their hoverboards and were not coming from the Lair, but from somewhere else, headed inside. They went in for about twenty minutes, then came back out. Swallowing hard, and making sure the grown-ups were not behind them, he began to approach. 

Inside, Wilykit and Wilykat were a little offended that the adults wanted to watch, but they had misunderstood. They thought the adults wanted to watch to make sure they were safe, but in reality they wanted to watch so they could see for themselves that the little guy was no threat. They assured the twins of this. Finally understanding that the adults were trying to take them a little more seriously, the twins finally relented and agreed to it. 

Not even sure if he would come back, Wilykit and Wilykat went back outside. It was the Christmas day anyway, and they wanted to go outside to look at their tree and open presents. There were only five or so, one each from the twins to each other, two from Tygra and Pumyra to each other, and one from Lion-O to his guardian, Snarf. And there was a sixth one, a new one. 

Wilykit and Wilykat opened theirs and laughed really hard. Both had made exactly the same thing for each other: a thick leather sheath of sorts for their lariats and their capsules. They had individually gone to the Warrior Maidens' village to barter the leather and made it. Wilykat's was dark brown, and Wilykit's was a sleek looking black. "Boy we sure think alike!" Wilykit said. 

"Yeah, talk about scary. My brain's thinking down to your level," Wilykat snickered. 

Wilykit laughed and shoved her brother. Then, as the twins attached the leather to their belts and put their weapons in it, Kringer timidly approached, taking little steps. 

Wilykit saw him first and grinned. "Hi!" 

Wilykat looked up. "Hi, Kringer! We were hoping you would be back." 

Kringer smiled a little, but kept looking nervously at the Lair, so close. "H-hi..." he said. "Did...did you get in trouble yesterday?" 

Panthro had scared the pants off of him, and he asked if they had gotten in trouble? Very un-Mutant-like. Wilykat hoped the adults had the audio sensors on to hear that. Maybe they should say un-_evil_ Mutant-like...they were starting to learn that not all Mutants were as those they had fought for so long. "Naw, they were mad, but we talked to them. Panthro felt bad for scaring you." 

Now it was Kringer's turn to look surprised. "He did?" Wilykat nodded. "Oh...they don't like me though do they? Because I'm a Mutant?" 

"Well...adults are like that. They fight a certain kind of person and they all of them are bad..." Wilykit had a thought. "I bet the adults at Castle Plundaar say all kinds of nasty things about us too, huh?" 

Kringer actually laughed. "They sure do. And in Plundaarian, too. Plundaarian has good curses." 

Both twins looked interested. "Hey could you tell us some?" 

Kringer grinned. It was not often he could teach something to someone who was willing to listen to him. He said a few of them, and told what they meant, and all three cubs were giggling madly as Wilykit and Wilykat tried to say them. 

Part 3 

Part 5 

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	5. Chapter 5

  
5

Inside, Panthro and Cheetara looked at each other and laughed. Tygra frowned, trying to hide his own amusement. "Shouldn't we put a stop to that?" 

Lion-O gave him a look, chuckling himself. "No, let them be. You think they don't cuss when we're not around?" 

"Good point." 

"And besides, after the words Panthro uses when he;s fixing the ThunderTank..." 

Panthro snorted, but said little on the matter. He couldn't really deny it, after all. 

Cheetara looked to the panther. "Well? Convinced? That child is not armed and he is not dangerous. He just wanted to ask about Christmas. All he's carrying is made out of wood, and it's small." She hook her head. "I can't see it well, but I think he made them a gift." 

Panthro nodded. He really did feel ashamed. "I think so too. You think I should go out there and apologize to the kid?" 

She shook her head. "No. He's probably scared of you now, and it's probably not a good idea to make too much contact with him. Can you imagine the trouble that cub would get into if S-S-Slithe found out he was hanging around the twins? An adult would be executed for treason had it been on old Plundaar." 

Panthro nodded grimly. "Yes. Probably now too. I wouldn't put it past him." 

"Yes. Just trust the kids more in the future. I think that's enough." Cheetara smiled. 

Panthro nodded. "You're right., but it's not easy." He sighed. "But you're right." 

**** 

Outside, the kids had finished trying to teach each other the curses of their languages, and were talking about their own planets, and their own people, and talking of Third Earth. Kringer was not like the others. In fact Wilykat thought he would grow up to be a decent Mutant. He knew there were some at the castle that did not fight, but did not leave for fear of being branded a traitor. He was thinking so far ahead...but he hoped that maybe, just maybe, when Kringer got older, he could help form some kind of peace... 

"...you think, Wilykat?" 

"Huh?" Wilykat shook his head then laughed. "What?" 

"I said this tree looks really cool, don't you think?" Wilykit repeated with a laugh. "Got snowballs in your ears?" 

Wilykat laughed also and smacked his sister in the arm. She cackled obnoxiously, making Kringer giggle. "Yeah I do. Think it looks cool that is." 

There was a pleasant silence, during which the three cubs only gazed at the tree. Panthro had taken the running lights from the Hovercat and put them on. They were a little big, but gave a nice glow. "Well..." Kringer said shyly. "I...I got something for you guys." He brought out the wooden object, a series of carved letters, very awkwardly done, and almost unreadable. It read, with one word stacked on the other: "Thanks Twins" He handed it to them. "I-I made it." 

Wilykit took the words and smiled. After she handed them to Wilykat to look over, she reached out and hugged the smaller child. "Thanks," she said. "It's beautiful." 

Kringer stiffened a little at the embrace, but them smiled. "Thanks...I worked all night on it." 

Wilykat was looking at it with a grin, then he set it down. "We have something for you, too, Kringer." While the cub gave him a look of interest, Wilykat got the gift from under the tree and handed it to him. It was wrapped in silver shiny paper, as were all of the others. They had swiped it from the kitchen. "We made ours too. Wilykit made one and I made the other one." 

The jackal cub eagerly took off the paper, after being assured that was what he was supposed to do, and grinned down at what was underneath. They had been made of leather as well: they were a pair of wrist covers with Kringer's name stamped somewhat clumsily into one of them. They had rawhide thongs. 

Kringer looked at them eagerly and gave his new friends a grin. "Boy they're neat...could you help me put them on?" 

"Sure!" Wilykat took one and helped the young Mutant tie it onto his left wrist, then put the other on his right, name outward. 

Kringer looked at them for a minute, then awkwardly hugged Wilykat, as if he were almost afraid to do so. "Thanks." 

Up in the Control Room, the adults looked down on this. All were smiling. Snarf, who had only just been told of what happened and given Lion-O a tongue lashing for not telling him sooner, wiped a tear from his eye. He was very sentimental, after all, and by his own admission. "Aww, that's sweet, snarf, snarf." 

"Yeah...it is," Tygra agreed, and put a companionable hand on his shoulder. Cheetara and Panthro had their arms aaround each other's shoulder's in a friendly stance, and Lion-O only watched with a smile. He had the same thought in his head as Wilykat had about peace. Maybe not in their lifetimes, but he could always hope, couldn't he? Wilykit and Wilykat could do it...maybe others if they ever found their countrymen, those that had survived. He had hope. 

Sometimes that was all one needed. 

**** 

"Well..." Kringer said, clearly reluctant. "It's late, and the sun's going down. If I don't get back, S-S-Slithe'll send someone to look for me, and the he won't be happy." He paused thoughtfully. "He's a jerk." 

"Boy, he sure is." The trio had spent some of their time agreeing about what kind of creep S-S-Slithe was. Wilykit nodded, and stood, the other two following suit. "Well...can you come here sometimes maybe?" 

Kringer grinned. "Yeah...like I said they don't care where I go and never know either." He started to walk away, stopped, and waved. "Bye, ThunderCats..." 

The twins waved and said in unison, "Bye, Kringer." The child walked away. 

**** 

Back at Castle Plundaar, Kringer was greeted by an irate snake Mutant whose name he didn't know. He whapped Kringer upside of the head, and the jackal cub scowled at him. "Ow! What was that for?" 

"Ssssssslithe wasss getting mad. He thought you got losssst again; almosssst sent sssssomeone to look for you, brat!" 

Kringer pulled away from him. "Well I _didn't_ get lost, so there." Scowling, he stalked off, leaving the snake who had guard duty that night to make a rude gesture after the cub and to tell S-S-Slithe the kid was back. 

Later that night, when he probably should have been sleeping (not that anyone cared if and when he went to bed) the little jackal sought out Simi in his quarters. "Simi?" 

The simian, in a pretty good mood, grinned at the kid and gestured him to come in. "What is it, Kringer?" He was one of the few that used his name, instead of "kid" or "cub" or "scavenger". 

Kringer came and sat down on the bed, looking a little nervous and a little embarrassed. "Well, I made you something..." Kringer brought his hands from behind his back and handed the older Mutant another wood-made object. 

Simi frowned a little and took it. It was a bad imitation of a Skycutter, and he laughed. "Hey you're getting pretty good with that wood, hoo, hoo. I like it, kid." Then he frowned, this one a little suspicious. "What's it for?" He remembered the conversation from the day before. 

Kringer looked down. He had been pleased by the compliment, but now afraid Simi would be mad at him "Well...i-it-it's for Christmas..." he answered in nearly a whisper. 

Simi sighed and tried to look sternly at him, but he saw the kid was nearly in tears and sighed. He was too soft-hearted for his own good. He put an arm around the jackal cub. "Thanks, kid." Kringer looked up, a little surprised. Simi pointed a finger at him. "But don't you _ever _tell any of the others you been messing around with that stuff, okay?" 

Kringer beamed at him. "I won't, I promise." His smile widened as Simi put the lopsided Skycutter on his dresser in plain sight. "Okay, go on to bed, kid. And try not to stay out so late next time, okay?" 

Kringer shook his head and stood. "I won't." 

Simi frowned a bit. "Where'd you get the wrist guards, hoo hoo?" he asked. "They look like the ones the warriors wear." 

Pleased with that description, Kringer said, "A-a friend gave them to me." Actually two friends, but Simi was pretty smart. He didn't want him to suspect. 

Simi shook his head. "Okay." He ruffled the fur on his head. "Go to bed, imp. You're gonna be the death of me, hoo hoo." 

Kringer giggled and left the room, in better spirits than he had been in in a long time. He climbed into his bed in the tiny room that had once been a medium sized storage closet, only big enough for a small bed and a nightstand where he kept his clothing and few belongings. He closed the door and undressed. The child climbed into bed and curled up, and still wearing the wrist-guards, he fell asleep. 

THE END 

Part 4 

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